Their debut album Harder than You was released in 1989 and sold, together with follow up album Gumbo Millennium (1990), a reasonable amount. Fame was around the corner, because Eastwest Record (a division of Atlantic Records) showed interest and signed them for their major debut: Strength in Numbers. But where peers like Living Colour were on their way to stardom things went terribly wrong for the Spyz.
I contacted Jimi because I read with great pleasure that he reunited with the Strength in Numbers lineup for a European tour to celebrate this great album. He was very enthusiastic to cooperate and was very open about certains things that happened in the past.
With the EP This Is..24-7 Spyz u introduced a new line-up (except for Rick Skatore). Where did you find them?
Jeff (Brodnax/vocals) was introduced to Rick (Skatore/bass) and myself by friends that were in a Virginia band called Egypt. They thought he would be perfect for the band. Rick and I had him come to NYC and he was great! Joel (Maitoza/drums)came by ways of guitarist Spacey T (Sound Barrier, Fishbone), who was in a band with Joel called Gangland. I heard the demo tape and got Joel's number and he actually auditioned over the telephone! He totally killed it! Absolutely true story!
What did you have in mind with this album? Was there a concept behind it? Can you tell me something about the process?
I wanted to write the album that would take us to the next level. We finally had the means, opportunity and time to do just that. Losing our original singer and drummer didn't matter to me because we'd gotten new guys who would come in and take the songs I'd written and enhance them with their talents. Jeff was the better singer that P. Fluid wasn't and I wrote songs that really brought that fact to light. Joel brought metal proficiency to the grooves and when he merged that with the soul of the songs, magic happened. There was no concept, just determination. I also didn't want to record the album at home in NYC. I wanted to be free to write without any distractions and Rick felt the same way. I asked Terry Date to work with us and he said yes. Because he lived in Seattle, we chose Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver to record at. We rented some condos, brought our road crew and all our gear and moved to Vancouver for a couple of months!
Why did you pick Terry Date as a producer?
I wanted to work with Terry Date because I knew he was the man for the job! Terry's sonic genius and mastery of his craft made him a perfect match. He also doesn't sing or play an instrument, which I loved! No intrusion on the songwriting vision! I also loved his work with Soundgarden and Pantera, both bands were friends of ours at the time. Terry was as mellow as us and a wonderful guy to work with. I co-produced and mixed the album with Terry and we worked together like peanut butter and jelly!
How did you get the major deal and how are u looking back on that now? Did it work or do u regret signing?
After the departure of our singer and drummer in 1990, our label began to lose faith and made it clear that maybe we should seek another home. We'd sold 250,000 copies of our debut album (Harder Than You) and 300,000+ copies of our second album (Gumbo Millennium), so all the major labels came gunning for us once it was known we were looking for a new label. At the time, there wasn't a better independent label out there than the one we were signed to and if we weren't gonna stay there, there wasn't anywhere else to be but at a major label. I do believe we should have been with a major label but just not the one we signed to. They misrepresented themselves with regards to the plans for Spyz. Sylvia Rhone had issues with herself and took them out on our band. I truly regret signing the deal because the true intention was to destroy the band.
How do you rate your position between the other crossover bands at the time?
I don't know. I'd leave that question for the fans to answer! I do know that Spyz influenced many, many, many of the bands that would come after us and with the release of three albums and one EP, raised the bar musically within the crossover movement.
Was there a friendship/competition between the Spyz and bands like Living Colour, Fishbone or Head's Up?
No! Absolutely not! We were friends with all of the bands! I think there is always an unsung level of competition between bands but Spyz has always set out to be the best band we could be no matter what! At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you do.
How do you look back now on Strength in Numbers?
I'm much better now, 20 years later, LOL! I was deeply affected by the way the album was treated by the record label, which was the exact opposite of the way the fans and the media treated it. I couldn't listen to it for many years without crying or wanting to kill somebody! I now look at it as a moment in time, a chapter in a book that will continue to be written. It's held in high regards by many people and has become a holy grail cult CD for many people as well. I'm honored. We're all honored!
Is the album still unavailable? On wiki it said there were only 18.000 albums printed and is therefore long out of print (I have one!)
No. A small label called Wounded Bird licensed the disc and combined the EP with the album for a 2 for 1 disc. I have the original disc and a copy of the vinyl as well (Thank you, Kike Gimeno!) so I would hold on to the copy you have, LOL!
How was it to play together with Living Colour recently?
It was absolutely great and it was the first time we'd played together! Time, politics and the weather kept us from playing together for almost 25 years, but that's over! We came together to support our brother, legendary guitarist Ronny Drayton and play a benefit concert for his son, Donovan, who is incarcerated unjustly as we speak. You can read about it here : http://4donovan.com/blog.html
In the wake of the benefit concert, I believe you'll see 24-7 Spyz and Living Colour doing some touring together in the future!
What is the current status of the Spyz? Is this tour only for the celebration or will there maybe be a new album?
Right now, we're gonna do some playing playing in Europe, have a great time, see all our friends and family that we haven't seen in ages and play it by ear! When we get back home, we'll figure things out. I hope to see many of our fans both old and new come out for the European dates!
If you have anything to add, please do Jimi!
I'll say this: The 24-7 Spyz family (Jimi Hazel, Rick Skatore, Tobias Ralph, Jeff Brodnax & Joel Maitoza) thanks each and everyone of you that have loved and supported the band over the 25 years! We are honored, grateful and humbled. We'll see you soon! HMS4L!
Tourdates 24-7 Spyz:
29.02.2012 NL Tilburg, 013
02.03.2012 NL-Sittard, Fenix
03.03.2012 NL-Amsterdam, Paradiso
04.03.2012 DE-Bremen, MS Treue
05.03.2012 DE-Hamburg, Hafenklang
06.03.2012 DE-Berlin, SO36
07.03.2012 DE-Marburg, KFZ
08.03.2012 CH-St. Gallen, Grabenhalle
09.03.2012 FR-Le Fayet, Le Repaire des Ours
10.03.2012 FR-Paris, The Machine
11.03.2012 GB-London, O2 Academy Islington
Support: Noiseaux
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/24-7-Spyz/41607195879?sk=wall
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